MOORE OUT: Dante Moore Alters First Round of NFL Draft | How Much Will It Impact Dallas Cowboys?

Summary

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Locked On Cowboys – Dante Moore Alters First Round of NFL Draft: Impact on Cowboys

Date: January 15, 2026
Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool
Network: Locked On Podcast Network

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the ripple effect of QB prospect Dante Moore opting to return to school, shaking up the 2026 NFL Draft landscape. Marcus and Landon field fan questions about how this changes draft strategies for the Dallas Cowboys, examine the Micah Parsons trade fallout, and evaluate top safety prospect Caleb Downs. The hosts take a detailed look at draft implications, player age trends, and outline the team-building challenges and opportunities facing the Cowboys.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dante Moore Returns to College – Draft Impact

[00:57–06:27]

• Moore's Shock Decision:
  Dante Moore, widely considered a top 5 quarterback prospect, announced he will not enter the NFL Draft, weakening an already lackluster QB class.
• Immediate Draft Math:
  • Fewer QBs at the top means fewer "non-area of need" players go before Dallas picks at 12 — possibly pushing premium talents out of their reach.
  • “It's one less guy that's probably going to go above the Cowboys pick at 12... there's implications that you may lose out on an opportunity for like a David Bailey or one of these pass rushers...”
    — Landon McCool [02:33]
  • Teams in need will still likely overdraft QBs, so Moore’s absence may not dramatically alter which players are available in Dallas’ range.
  • “I don't think it's really going to impact Dallas too much at 12... you're still getting the same two or three guys that you're drafting every single time.”
    — Marcus Mosher [04:08]
• Draft Quality & Player Tiers:
  • Consensus: The talent pool from picks 2 or 3 to 12 feels unusually similar.
    “There's really no top five guys in this class outside of Mendoza that you feel great about. So the difference in picking at 8 and 12... I don't see it this year.”
    — Marcus Mosher [05:36]

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2. Age Gap Among Prospects & Cowboys’ Draft Philosophy

[06:27–11:21]

• Wide Age Discrepancy:
  • Extra eligibility years post-COVID and new NIL rules mean more 24–25-year-olds in this draft.
  • Landon: “This is probably the last year of the kind of extra year granted for some of these Covid kids… that's why you're seeing a lot of 25-year-olds more than you probably would.” [07:23]
• Impact on Evaluation:
  • Historically, teams prize younger prospects, but win-now teams (i.e., Dallas) might deprioritize age in favor of NFL readiness.
  • “With the Cowboys... are you maybe willing to ignore the age a little bit to get guys that can come in and produce right away?”
    — Marcus Mosher [08:36]
• Day 2/3 Strategy:
  • Older, ready-to-play prospects (e.g., Keonte Scott) make sense as mid-to-late picks.
    • “Age is not going to be an issue for this guy because he’s going to be mature and professional and going to get to work.”
      — Landon McCool [11:00]

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3. The Micah Parsons Trade – Can it Ever Be ‘Fixed’?

[15:08–20:35]

• Making the Best of a Bad Situation:
  • Both hosts regret the trade but focus on maximizing acquired assets (picks, salary cap space) for foundational improvements.
    • “Trying to maximize what you've got out of Micah Parsons is probably the better way of approaching it.”
      — Landon [15:08]
  • The key will be effective use of cap space and draft capital—especially in free agency.
    • “Now we have to see it... I want them to go out and target one or two guys at market price to come in here and fix the defense. And if they don’t, I'm going to be pretty disappointed.”
      — Marcus [17:41]
• Reasons for Cautious Optimism:
  • Landon notes Jerry Jones has shown more aggression of late, possibly linked to the trade backlash.
    • “It feels like he needs to compensate still for what happened with the Micah Parsons situation.”
      — Landon [18:31]
  • Quality over quantity: Even a single high-quality free agent addition (e.g., Trey Hendrickson, Devin Lloyd) could be transformative.
• Defensive Philosophy Shift:
  • There’s recognition that Micah “papered over” structural defensive flaws which Dallas must now address head-on.
    • “Now they are kind of forcing themselves to have to reconcile that they fix the defensive tackle position, which has been a huge crater... They're actually trying to make ends to solving very fundamental problems...”
      — Landon [20:35]

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4. Caleb Downs: Top Safety Prospect & Dallas Draft Odds

[24:56–31:25]

• Historical Rarity of High Safety Picks:
  • No safety drafted top 10 since 2017 (Jamal Adams); comparison with Derwin James and Kyle Hamilton.
  • “Does [Caleb Downs] have the best resume of any safety that's come out of the draft in a quarter century?”
    — Landon [25:17]
• What Makes Downs Unique:
  • Elite football education—played under Nick Saban, won a national championship at Ohio State, consistently All-American level.
    • “As far as education in... correct the defense in college, I think Caleb Downs maybe had the best experience to get him ready to be an NFL superstar.”
      — Landon [26:02]
  • Average athletic testing and size keep him from being a “freak” like Derwin James, but technique and versatility set him apart.
• Realistic Landing Spots:
  • “I think there's only one team that's stopping Caleb Downs from getting to the Cowboys at 12, and that's the Cincinnati Bengals at 10.”
    — Marcus [29:27]
  • Teams at the top generally avoid safeties in favor of high-impact positions.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “First of all, it's gonna have a huge impact on me because I had lined up a whole bunch of really bad puns using both his first and his last name... So I'm really disappointed. I got to put that on the shelf.”
  — Landon McCool, joking about Dante Moore [02:27]
• “I'm never gonna feel good about the Micah Parsons trade because...he should be here, right? And if you were going to trade him, you should have gotten more from the trade. Now... it's how do you make the best of a bad situation?”
  — Marcus Mosher [16:22]
• “The thing is that without that at like top, top end, elite talent at a position that never goes top five anyways, like, if you're not Sean Taylor, you're probably not going top five.”
  — Landon [28:42]

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Important Timestamps

• Dante Moore Decision & Draft Impact: [00:57–06:27]
• Age & Draft Prospect Debate: [06:27–11:21]
• Micah Parsons Trade & Offseason Philosophy: [15:08–21:36]
• Caleb Downs as a Prospect & Draft Odds: [24:56–31:25]

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Summary Takeaways

• The Cowboys' slot in the draft is affected more in theory than in practice by Moore’s absence, as QB-needy teams may still reach and the talent pool is perceived as flat.
• Age is less of a red flag for older rookies this year, and could be a market inefficiency for contenders like Dallas.
• The Micah Parsons trade still stings, but the Cowboys' front office appears more motivated to actively address defensive weaknesses with greater urgency.
• The hosts view Caleb Downs as arguably the most NFL-ready safety in recent memory, with the Bengals as the only likely team to poach him before Dallas’ pick.

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Useful for listeners who want a detailed grasp of how a single player’s decision shapes the first round, and how strategic roster building will define the Cowboys’ 2026 offseason.

Transcript

[A]

It's the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day.

[B]

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[B]

Dante Moore is officially going back to school. That's going to have a big impact on the Cowboys in the draft. We'll tell you why next. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome back to the Locked On Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network. Today's episode is brought to you by Prize Picks. Download the Prize Picks app today. Use promo code lot NFL to get 50 in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup. Welcome back. I am your host, Marcus Moser. He is Landon McCool and and on today's show, we are answering your Twitter questions, including how can the Cowboys fix the Micah Parsons trade, if at all. We're going to talk about Caleb Downs and if he's a realistic option for Dallas at 12. But let's start with the big news on Wednesday. And that's Dante Moore, who a lot of people had as either the number one or number two quarterback in this class. Seemed like a surefire top five pick. He's going back to school and Lane, and that makes this one of the worst quarterback classes we've seen in recent memory. How much do you expect that to impact the Cowboys at picks 12 and 20?

[A]

Well, first of all, it's gonna have a huge impact on me because I had lined up a whole bunch of really bad puns using both his first and his last name that I was going to use throughout the draft season. So I'm really disappointed. I got to put that on the shelf. But yeah, I, I think as far as the Cowboys go, you know, I, I think there's an obvious answer, right? It's one less guy that's probably going to go above the Cowboys pick at 12. Right. And, and I think that, that there is implications that there you may lose out on an opportunity for like a David Bailey or one of these pass rushers that, that, that you know, is kind of just jumbled in at the top. That, that has the combination of being, you know, an elite talent at the position that can be draft that is valuable enough to be drafted in the top 10. And I think that it's, it's, you know, it's going to play with the math a little bit on the likelihood of teams potentially trading up to go get their, their, their quarterback and, and again, just one more body to be taken before the Cowboys at a position that they aren't going to draft. But outside of that, like, I, I don't think it's going to have a huge impact on, on some of these other positions. See, I mean I think for like the, the kind of money, five positions, if you're looking to draft those guys, maybe not corner because corner is like a really unique situation in this draft, but you know, at defensive end or if you were looking at tackle for some reason at 12, like all of those guys, you know, are probably at a little bit more risk of losing your, your number one target because there's just one less guy that's definitely going to be picked up ahead of you.

[B]

Yeah. And we should also mention we've seen teams overdraft quarterbacks before. So what? It shocked me if a Ty Simpson from Alabama ends up going before the Cowboys pick. Not. We saw what Daniel Jones go at pick six one year. We saw Michael Pennix get drafted at eight overall. Bo Nicks win at 12 overall. So like this, I would not be surprised if this happens. But ultimately I don't think it's really going to impact Dallas too much at 12, and I really don't expect it to impact them at 20 because you're talking about the difference of one guy in the first 19 picks. The guys that you want were probably either going to be there anyways or you're not. Right. And at 12, honestly, like I, I keep doing all these mock drafts on Pro Football Focus and I, yeah, highly recommend that you should do it. And even tonight after they've pulled more off the board, you're still getting the same two or three guys that you're drafting every single time. I wouldn't worry about it.

[A]

Yeah, more Than likely what it is, it just, it try to lessens that outside chance that a top end guy falls to you like in, you know, one of the top five guys falls to you at 12. Or, or like I mentioned, a guy like, you know, who's your favorite defensive end? David Bailey, you know, Reuben Bain, whatever. Like the likelihood that one of those guys that might have been going top 10 because of talent plus positional value falling out to 12, it may have decreased like 5%.

[B]

You know, at the same time. I mean we don't want to get too heavy into draft, but I, I don't see a massive difference between the players that are going like, again, go do some mocks. The guys are being picked at 2 and 3 in this draft. I feel almost exact the same as I do at pick 12. And that's not like, that doesn't mean that you're getting a bad player at 12. There's really just not a, there's really no top five guys in this class outside of Mendoza that you feel great about. So pick the difference in picking at 8 and 12. I, I don't see it this year.

[A]

Well, there's a guy, there's a top five guy in this draft and, and he could get picked at 12 and we'll talk about him a little later. Don't you do. We're not going to do this. We're not going to do this yet, Marcus, but we aren't going to do this. At some point. I will defend myself here fault today.

[B]

I feel really good about the caliber of player that you're going to get. And again, we'll go through all the names throughout the draft season, the early contenders for that spot. You know, Sonny Styles. We're going to talk about a safety here in a little bit. I would assume they're going to have their pick of cornerbacks. If you want an offensive tackle, there's going to be some guys available there. I think they're going to be fine. But another question I had for you in the draft is as, as you're starting to get into some of the research of this class, you're seeing a big age discrepancy between prospects. And we've got a couple guys, you know, middle, more middle first round prospects who are 24, 25 years old. You've got some really young players like Sunny Styles in his class who's or who are 20 years old. With the, the way college football is set up now with nil and players being able to play five or six years, is that going to have an impact on how these evaluators factor in age.

[A]

Yeah. And you have to think too that this is probably the last year of the kind of extra year granted for some of these Covid kids. Right. Like these kids that were freshmen when they, when Covid hit, they may have been granted an extra year. That's why you're seeing a lot of 25 year olds more than you probably would. And it's interesting, right, like, and like you said, like there's a ton of them and, and how is it going to affect the draft? Normally, you know, in this sense it would, you would kind of point these guys out and because they're kind, they would normally be a little bit more rare. But because you have such a high volume of them, you wonder if it isn't like something that you just have to take on as a data point but you know, maybe not weigh as heavily because if you're just going to eliminate, if you're going to just kind of, you know, cross off guys because they're a certain age, you're taking a pretty hefty chunk at this point out of the draft class. So, yeah, I think that there's something to the idea that that age is a thing. And we'll talk about all the reasons that age is important in a prospect. And it's not just about, you know, how old they are when they sign their contract or when they resign. There's a lot more to it.

[B]

And for the most part, your top prospects in this class are young players. And it's not surprising, right, if you're, if you're really good, you know, as a sophomore, as a junior, you're going to go into the draft. And that's why I think Jeremiah loves 20. No, Reese is 20 or 21. Sonny Styles is young. It's that next tier guys that's, you know, that, you know, late first round, early second round. And I honestly don't know how to value them anymore. I mean I, I used to be an ageist when it came to prospects. Like, I just, I don't want to draft these 24, 25 year olds. But one of the things that we were talking, talking about pre show is with the Cowboys being, I don't want to say necessarily to win now mode, but kind of like they, I think they pretty clearly have a window here. Are you maybe willing to ignore the age a little bit to get guys that can come in and produce right away?

[A]

Yeah, I think for the, for the, you know, angle of are they too old, right. Like to be to be drafted and play. I think that that is lessened by all the things that you just mentioned because the Cowboys are kind of in a window now. I don't think that they need to necessarily worry about the fact that maybe you don't have. Maybe this guy has two contracts in him and that's it. Right. Like, or if, if, if, you know, maybe less depending on how you like him. Right. I, I think that it, it certainly is a factor, but I certainly think that it's lessened by the, the fact that you have a shortened window. The other aspect of this though, unfortunately is like the evaluation aspect. Right. Is, is how do you, how to judge these guys and you've been a, a proponent of this way before a lot of people, right, Is how do you judge these guys when they're 25 year old men playing against 17 year olds in college? Like so I mean they, they need.

[B]

Well, it's no surprise. Indiana's number one ranked team in the country. They're all. Seriously, I, I saw a graphic the other, other day. They're almost older than the average age of the Green Bay packers this year, which, it makes a big difference. But I, sorry to interrupt you, but I think one of the things in round one, I still want to take the young guys that dominated college early on.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But like on day two and day three there's a cornerback, Keante Scott, who I believe is 24 and a half and like that's the kind of guy now I would be willing to take middle of day two, early day three, maybe he does not going to have a long career in the NFL but if you need a starting slot corner, plug him in and play him.

[A]

Yeah, give me Keonte Scott again. We don't need to get into draft too deep but he's one of the guys I studied. I love him already. Yeah. Age is not going to be an issue for this guy because he's going to come in and he's going to be mature and he's going to be professional and he's going to get to work. And, and I think that that's has its own benefit that, that maybe can even further kind of counter the, the age aspect of this.

[B]

All right, let's talk about the Micah Parsons trade for I think the thousandth time. Is there any way the Cowboys can fix the situation? We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Quo New Year New Systems. This is the time when a lot of us look at the messier parts of how we run our business. And think there's got to be a better way. And there is. Streamlining your communications is one of the quickest upgrades you could make. And that's why today's episode is brought to you by Quo, spelled Q U O the smarter way to run your business communications. Because when your team is reachable, organized and communicating in one place, you're not just working cleaner, you're creating more opportunities to connect with customers. And I love how simple Quo makes everything. Your whole team can call and text from one shared business number so nothing gets missed. And it works right from your phone or your computer. And you can even keep your existing number. It's no surprise that Quo is the number one rated business phone system on G2, trusted by more than 90,000 businesses from solo operators to growing teams. Make this the year where no opportunity and no customer slips away. Try quo for free plus get 20% off your first six months when you go to quo.com lotdonnfl that's q-uo.com lotnfl quo no missed call, no missed customers this episode is brought to you by ultimate qb. The draft picks are settled. We know where the Cowboys are picking and so many teams outside of the Cowboys are looking for their franchise quarterback. Have you ever wished that you could become a pro quarterback getting drafted first overall? Well, now you can. And there is a mobile game just for you called Ultimate QB Football Legend. In this game, you step into the cleats of a number one draft pick and it's your job to lead your team to greatness to help turn a failing franchise into a dynasty. This is the number one career mode for quarterbacks on the mobile app store and it introduces the most realistic environment with full career control. You can sign contracts, train, upgrade yourself, build chemistry and involve with your teammates. You'll deal with all the ups and downs of a quarterback career, from rookie nerves to playoff drama and so much more. Ultimate QB is totally free to play, has no ads, and works 100% offline. Perfect when you just want to sneak in a game or two on the go. So head over to ultimate-QB.com that's ultimate-QB.com or search for Ultimate QB in your app store and we've got something special for you guys. Use promo code locked on all caps in the game store to get a free boost to start your career. Ultimate QB football legend QB1. It's your legacy. Welcome back to the Lock On Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. If you haven't done so already, go check out the new Everydayer Club. You're going to get access to ad free audio of the Lockdown Cowboys podcast compatible with Apple Podcasts, Spotify and every other major podcast app. Go to locked on cowboys.supercast.com or tap the link in the show notes to learn more. All right, this question is from Dan. He wants to know, after talking about the impact that a edge rusher can have in round one and now that they basically solid the defensive tackle situation they have, is there any options out there that you guys have discussed that actually leave you feeling better long term than just keeping Micah Parsons through 2026?

[A]

Well, I, I, first of all, we should examine what better means because I, I think if you're talking about better than having Micah Parsons, it's going to be tough to quantify, you know, and I think that that's, that's kind of, you know, nebulous. So I think trying to maximize what you've got out of Micah Parsons is probably just the better way of approaching it. Right. Like, I, I think, you know, the general theory was that you're, you're getting several players out of the Micah Parsons situation due to money and the draft picks. So I think, you know, first things first is taking the, the resources that you got out of Micah Parsons and then making sure you make good decisions about the players that you're taking, whether that's in free agency, the money that you're using to sign other guys or drafting guys with your picks. I, I think it's, it's just about, you know, making sure that you nail the evaluations on the, you know, opportunities that you were given by trading away Micah Parsons and then hope that that kind of cumulative effect of the, of the players that you've accumulated with the, with that those resources are enough to lift the, the defense enough to, you know, compensate for our loss of a micro part.

[B]

Parsons. I'm never gonna feel good about the Micah Parsons trade because, I mean, there's that they shouldn't have traded him. They should have gotten a long term deal done. Whether that was two years ago or however they should have. He should be here, right? And if you were going to trade him, you should have gotten more from the trade. Now we don't need to go through all that again. You're a year removed from that. So now it's, how do you make the best of a bad situation? And I think they did a good job with Quinn and Williams. Right? Like, they went and got a player that they, that can be A foundational piece. That's great. Now they gave up an additional second round pick to get it, but that's okay. It's whatever. You're getting a star defensive tackle in the prime of his career. It's now this next step. And it's not just the draft pick. Right. Because the pick 20s coming from green Bay, but it's also the cap space. And this is where Jerry Jones has said that they're g. You know, one of the reasons why they traded Micah is they wanted to have more flexibility. Now we have to see it. Yeah, I know that free agency can be fickle sometimes. You're over playing for average players. That can't be the case now. I mean, you cannot be. They cannot have the same philosophy in free agency as they had the last couple years. I want them to go out and target one or two guys at market price to come in here and fix the defense. And if they don't, I'm going to be pretty disappointed.

[A]

I'm. I'm going to give a little bit of a controversial take here. I, I actually think they will. And the reason I do think that they will this year as opposed to like, you know, the general consensus is because they kind of started to do it a little bit last year. Right. They kind of, they did make. They did talk about being more aggressive in trades and being more aggressive in free agency and they did do some of that. So. And Jerry has. You know, I. Listen, I do think that the one thing about. That's. That's is. Has been, I think, will continue to be truly positive about the Micah Parsons trade is that it, it has changed Jerry in, in a way that it feels like he's on his back foot and it feels like he needs to compensate still for what happened with the Micah Parsons situation.

[B]

It feels like he, he's getting very defensive, which actually is good for the Cowboys.

[A]

Yes. Because he. That means he feels like he's got to move and, and when, when inaction has been the problem in the past, Jerry Jones feeling motivated to make moves is a positive thing. So.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, I think that that is an aspect of it that we need to pay attention to. And I think that there is a chance that the Cowboys, you know, we, we. We know what they've got in the draft. But I think the thing that may be a little bit surprising this off season is maybe they are a little aggressive in free agency as they can be. Because again, that's the thing is, as we get further and further along in this free agency thing, it it feels like, you know, the have and have nots get further and further apart at times. And because of that, the, the kind of result that we didn't necessarily expect is that not as many quality players are making it to free agent because teams are able to retain their own. So.

[B]

And they're being way more pre. Proactive, making sure they get them. But you don't need to sign the top four or five free agents. All we're asking for is really one. Right. And I think if you can find the right free agent above, I mean, what they paid Don or Dante Fowler six million, I think it's got to be like in the 10 to 15 million dollar range. If you could hit on that one big free agent. I do think it could change a lot of the angles here. And whether that's a linebacker like Devin Lloyd, who's probably going to get more than that, whether that's taking a shot on a pass rusher like a Trey Hendrickson or a Khalil Mack or a Joey Bosa, I'm just naming some names who I know are free agents. I do think that could really change this defense because one of the concerns I had about the defense last year, even with Micah, is that they just lacked depth. And you thought Micah was going to be able, because he's so dominant, was going to be able to cover a lot of those holes and, and as the season progressed, you realized maybe how much he really was covering. They've got to find, honestly I'm thinking like seven to eight quality defenders in one off season.

[A]

Well, I mean, look, there is something to the idea that, that it felt like with Micah, not Micah himself, but because you had Micah, it was, you kind of were like you mentioned kind of that they're papering over fundamental problems with the defense. Right. And now they are kind of forcing themselves to have to reconcile that they fix the defensive tackle position, which has been a huge crater for this pro, this defense for years. They, they are now seemingly interviewing candidates who are hopefully going to come in and help kind of modernize the, the coverage schemes a little bit. Just based on the, the names that we've seen. They're, they're all like secondary coaches basically. So I do feel like if maybe this falls under the category of Jerry Jones being motivated, it does feel like they are actually making, trying to make ends to solving very fundamental problems that they've just kind of looked the other way on for several different years.

[B]

And honestly, Green Bay is having some of those same issues right now. And you saw when Micah got hurt. They were all in five in their last five games to Micah because he covers up so much. He's that great of a player. It's both teams are going to try to figure out ways to be better without Micah this off season. That green base obviously getting him back. But let's talk about Caleb Downs, who I know a lot of Cowboy fans are hoping and dreaming that he falls to them at 12. How realistic is that? We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Home Chef. As the new year gets going, a lot of people are trying to simplify their routines and and dinner is always a big one. Between busy work days, cold winter nights and packed schedules, having an easy and reliable dinner plan makes a huge difference. And that's where Home Chef comes in. Home Chef takes the stress out of trying to figure out cooking by delivering fresh, pre portioned ingredients right to your door with easy to follow recipes that actually taste great. They're rated number one by users of all other meal kits for quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. And it's easy to see why meals come ready to fit your schedule, 30 minute recipes, oven ready trays or quick lunches. And they have over 30 weekly options including family sized meals and different dietary choices. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering our listeners 50% off your first box for plus free shipping and free dessert for life. Just go to homechef.com laton that's home chef.com locked on for 50% off your first box, free shipping and free dessert for life. Must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. This episode is brought to you by Indeed. If you've ever hired someone who looked good on paper but wasn't the right fit, you you know how important that is. And when your candidates don't truly match what you're looking for, it's incredibly frustrating. But that's why you need to trust Indeed Sponsored Jobs. If you're hiring Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other sites Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Put your post at the top of the page and help you reach the right candidates faster. If I ever needed to hire someone for this show, I would go straight to Indeed and be very specific about what I need, which is real experience and not just some resume buzzwords. So spend more time interviewing candidates who check all of your boxes with less stress, less time and more results using Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this Show Get a $75 sponsored job credit to help you give your job the premium placement it deserves@ Indeed.com Loton NFL just go to Indeed.com Loton NFL right now and support the show by saying that you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the Right Way with Indeed. Welcome back to the Locon Cowboys Podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first first listen every single day.

[A]

Later.

[B]

Let's finish up with this question here from Ryan. He wants to know we haven't had a safety drafted inside the top 10 since 2017. Jamal Adams, regarding prospect profiles, how good is Caleb Downs from Ohio State compared to previous safeties and is there a chance that he makes it to 12?

[A]

I was thinking about this Marcus and you know, obviously I hinted at it earlier. I think he's a top five player. Obviously he's going to be hamstrung by his position like the questioner said. And I was thinking about this though. Does he have the best resume of any safety that's come out of the draft in a quarter century?

[B]

Is it? Well, the problem is is dirt. I think Derwin James and Kyle Hamilton are your best are the top two safeties. Now Kyle Hamilton I believe was a two time all American who was 64220 but he ran a 47 40. Derwin didn't have the turnovers but he was a freak athlete. It's got to be close.

[A]

I mean but let's, let's dive a little deeper though, right? Because Caleb like if you look at the particulars, right. Caleb Downs comes into college football. I think the last two years, the last single year Nick Saban is coaching football, right. So he got Nick Saban at Alabama and then he went to Ohio State and won a national championship, was an All American and then had another incredible year where the defense was probably even better than it was last year at certain points. So I, I, I think yeah, you know, when you kind of look at it from a prospect aspect, you know, maybe there's some, some arguments. I, I certainly think the two guys you mentioned certainly apply. But I think as far as education in, in, in, in correct the defense like in college, I think Caleb Downs maybe had the best experience to get him ready to be an NFL super superstar.

[B]

I guess I agree in terms of like technique and I, you know he's going to be able to be play in any scheme. I think the only reason that I'm hesitant to put him ahead of Derwin, really more Derwin than anything is that he's going to test as a very, yeah, average athlete. He does not have great size Derwin and Kyle Hamilton, those guys are freaks at safety in terms of their size. Thwin was an incredible athlete. Kyle Hamilton, not so much. But I feel really good about him. And to answer the question, safeties don't go inside the top five. And yeah, if we, if you and I just sat here and ruled out safety as a option, top five, because I don't, I don't see like the jets drafting him at 2. I don't see the Cardinals who already have Buddha Baker drafting him at 3. Could you see the Giants at 5 drafting him with their needs at offensive line and wide receiver?

[A]

I just, the problem is, is that if Derwin James like as a. Because that's the difference between me and this is as a prospect. I mean, what's better than Derwin James, right? He was. Accolades. Incredibly freakish athletic. You know, he, he didn't have necessarily the, the top end stats, but that's also because teams were very much avoiding Turwin James when they were playing him in Florida State. So like, yeah, he went 17, by the way. Yeah. And he went 17. So I think Caleb Downs has me more excited than I think maybe than Derwin James did when he was coming out. But I think the, the thing is that without that at like top, top end, elite talent at a position that never goes top five anyways, like, if you're not Sean Taylor, like, you're probably not going top five.

[B]

Well, so, so. And I, I don't see him going top five because I think you're going to see those teams opt for more money five positions. And I like, I see a team like The Browns at 6, that's a team that only drafts money five positions high and they have needs at wide receiver, tackle and you know, guard. So they, they've got a draft. Some offensive linemen there. I'll be honest with you. I think there's only one team that's stopping Caleb Downs from getting to the Cowboys at 12, and that's the Cincinnati Bengals at 10. And their biggest need is safety and he's in state. I have a really, really hard time seeing the Bengals passing on Caleb Downs considering they had so many issues at safety last year.

[A]

And just, just to clear up something real quick, when I said top five before, I meant as a player. You're right. Right. Draft, you know, you're not drafting a safety in the top five. But yes, to your point, the, the Bengals, you know, as the kind of co. Co. Worst defenses on this list or, or Cowboys.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, they, they, you know, they are kind of the roadblock for a lot of these prospects of the Cowboys may be interested in because yeah, they're probably going defense too, right? So yeah, Caleb Downs obviously makes a ton of sense for all the reasons that you mentioned. But again, Even the top 10 like teams just don't. They don't.

[B]

It does not happen.

[A]

It doesn't happen. It doesn't happen that often. So. And I look, there's not a ton of top five talent in this draft. You're absolutely right. But there are enough edge rushers and you know, interesting pieces that I feel like it could get money for them and they may just look at the situation and go we can't invest our first round pick as especially as the Bengals, right As that the way that franchise is run, they have to hit on these draft picks and they have to hit him at positions in which are impactful because they're not going to go out and get a, they're not going to go out and pay for a, an edge rusher, an all world edge rusher. They're not paying their own guys. So yeah, I think they probably have to limit it to positions like, like, you know, pass rusher that really are impactful really quickly.

[B]

Kyle Hamilton was the number two player on the consensus board in 2022. I mean he was a universal. Everybody loved him. I believe he went 14 in that.

[A]

Draft and that's the comparable thing. I think. I think they are probably more comparable players right as far as like they're, they're different sizes and physical. But I say as far as their game goes, like versatile, can do anything safeties. That's why I think it's probably safe to say he's not going top 10 or 10.

[B]

Like I think 10 is probably where the conversation starts with the Bengals. The Dolphins aren't going to draft him at 11 with their safeties. So it's down to the Bengals and Cowboys. We'll see how it plays out. That is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Lockdown Cowboys your first listen every single day. If you haven't done so already, check out the Everyday or club get Loton Cowboys ad free + members only discord access and more. Head over to Loton Cowboys Supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24.7national NBA YouTube channel and on audio make your second listen the lock on NFL podcast. Follow Landon on Twitter @mccoolbcb I'm @marcus Underscore Moser and We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

[D]

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